Dan Michaels of The Choir shows us his ink
I thought I would branch out and try a new section in our zine. I have read in other magazines where some of them do features on artists and their tattoos, so then I figured we could give it a shot also. I love tattoos… I first started getting them when I was 18 and finally of legal age. It became somewhat addictive for whatever reason, and the older I get, the more I keep getting covered up. Most of my work is music related, some are references to favorite scripture verses and some are references to my wife. I have my wedding dates tattooed on me, so I should never forget our anniversary now!
Getting tattooed was never a statement of rebellion for me. When I first started it was definitely not as popular as it has become. My first tattoo was done 17 years ago, and it was a way for me to record, and make permanent, certain times and events in my life. It was also a way to separate oneself from the mainstream to some degree… of course, as luck would have it, tattoos became more mainstream. Oh well, they will always be just outside of the norm in my book.
So in doing this feature I wanted to plug someone who I knew really had meaning behind their ink. I asked Dan Michaels of The Choir if he would be our first test subject. Thankfully he said yes! I had seen pictures of Dan’s work before and liked it, particularly his Flap Your Wings tattoo that was the album cover that Michael Knott did for The Choir. Below are the pics of Dan’s work and the meanings behind each of his pieces. I hope you guys enjoy this and get a more up close look at this art form. Just in case you were wondering, yes it hurts!
Dan explains:
#1 – Bronze Dragon
Upper left arm/shoulder
Artist: Darren Rosa / Rising Dragon Tattoo – New York City
The bronze dragon was my first tattoo. I waited several decades to start my collection. Metallic dragons symbolize good (as apposed to chromatic dragons…black, red, blue etc that are symbolic of evil), so I selected a design to symbolize all that is good in my life. Included with the dragon is the scripture reference Revelation 21:1
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”
A beautiful promise that goes on to talk about no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain. Incorporated in the design is images of the heavens and the new earth. Nestled in the dragon’s tail is another part of my life that is good – my love for my wife Lisa. I found Rising Dragon tattoo online and fell in love with Darren’s specialty work on dragons, so I traveled to NYC to work with him. Terrific person and a real pro…plus NYC is a cool place to get a tattoo.
#2 Gold Dragon
Upper right arm/shoulder
Artist: Darren Rosa / Rising Dragon Tattoo – New York City
Another metallic dragon. I’ve always been a fantasy and sci-fi fan with a keen interest in dragons. This design includes the scripture Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
Also a favorite scripture of mine – so simple, yet so profound and vast. There are images of the sun, stars and wind with a rising golden dragon to represent the start of creation.
#3 Flap Your Wings Guitar Angel
Lower left leg
Artist: Jason St. Clair in Franklin, TN
This tattoo is the image from the Choir’s Flap Your Wings CD cover art. Mike Knott (Lifesavors, LSU, Aunt Bettys etc.) painted the original image for the cover back in 2000. I decided on this image for several reasons. Its unique and original beauty has always been pleasing to me. Also, it was painted by a person that I’ve held in high esteem over the years because of his creative soul – whether in music or art. Finally, the Flap Your Wings album was very significant to me because the album and The Choir was recognized with the honor of being nominated for a Grammy that year. While we didn’t win, it truly was a special experience to be part of that process and attend the awards show in Los Angeles. Jason St. Clair is a local artist here in the Nashville/Franklin TN area that was referred to me by Steve Hindalong and Marc Byrd.
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